


Kiss Me Once ('cause you know I had a long night)

by dontyoublink



Series: Can we always be this close? [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Kinda, Miraculous Team, The most action I will probably ever write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25041574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontyoublink/pseuds/dontyoublink
Summary: Robin joins the Miraculous Team in their hunt for Hawkmoth. For some reason, he and Ladybug are drawn to each other. Who could possibly know why?
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Series: Can we always be this close? [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795474
Comments: 14
Kudos: 691





	Kiss Me Once ('cause you know I had a long night)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Paper Rings" by Taylor Swift.
> 
> I probably borrow a lot of details from other fics (example: Ladybug developing an app that helps track akumas), so credit goes to all the amazing authors in this fandom.
> 
> Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos on the previous fics in the series! They inspire me to work even faster on new ideas. Let me know what you think of this one too!

The first time Robin showed up in Paris was just under two months after Marinette had attended the Wayne gala. He explained that Batman and his team had recently been made aware of the Miraculous Teams’ situation and wanted to offer assistance in tracking down Hawkmoth. Some on the team (Abeille and Ryuko) were immediately wary, but Marinette had heard enough about the vigilantes from Damian that she was willing to trust him.

After brief but intense negotiations, some ground rules were established. First, Robin would not participate in akuma fights unless given permission. He initially put up a fight about this, arguing that he had been trained for combat his whole life—which created a ton of questions that she wasn’t sure she wanted the answers too—and thus had much more experience than them. Ladybug was quick to shut that down.

(“That may be true, but what we’re dealing with is a specific kind of magic that you’ve never encountered. Hell, we’ve been at this for _years_ and it still feels like we barely understand it sometimes.”)

The second rule had to do with communication. Because Robin would be traveling back and forth between Gotham and Paris, the teens decided to prearrange weekly meetings at the abandoned warehouse the team had been using as a base. Ladybug did _not_ appreciate how smug the boy wonder looked when he refused to share how exactly he would be making the trip so frequently, but she got him back by telling him that they would need to modify one of his communication devices so they could contact him via miraculous in case of an emergency.

(Robin was practically pouting when he handed her the device. Ladybug could just barely hear him muttering something about “pits” and “grandfather,” as well as what she assumed from his tone of voice were rather _colorful_ Arabic words directed toward magic in general.)

The last rule was that there would be no identity-swapping. It was the only one to which Robin readily agreed, even if he was a little…blunt about it.

(“I do not plan on being mind-controlled by a terrorist, but I am not compromising my identity, and I certainly do not care about _yours_.”)

With these guidelines in place, the group agreed to meet at their base in one week.

Of course, things are never that easy.

* * *

A day before the scheduled meeting, Hawkmoth unleashed a particularly challenging akuma who had plunged the city into darkness by obscuring both the sun and all artificial light sources. The victim had just been fired from a TV show due to low ratings and announced that if the public didn’t want to see them, then no one would be able to see anything at all.

Thirty minutes into the battle, the team had identified the akumatized object thanks to Chat Noir’s night vision, but they hadn’t been able to capture it.

It was time for the Lucky Charm.

When the object landed in her hands, Ladybug immediately recognized that it was made of an unusual material. As soon as she felt the eye holes and spikes on the edges, she knew what it was telling her.

“Lucky Charm wants me to call in some out-of-town reinforcements,” she shouted to her team. “Keep the akuma occupied until he shows!”

She contacted Robin and informed him of the situation before detransforming and giving Tikki a cookie to recharge. Less than a minute after she called “Spots on!” the boy wonder landed on the rooftop next to her.

“I thought I was not supposed to get involved in fights,” he said in lieu of a greeting.

“The Lucky Charm told me to get you,” she replied. “Speaking of—” the heroine called on her power once again.

A…slingshot? Her mind racing, she turned to Robin.

“What do you have in your utility belt?” He ran through an impressively long list, but she stopped him on a particular tool.

“Your mask has night vision, right?” When he confirmed this, her plan clicked into place.

“Chat Noir!” Her partner raced up to the roof, and she explained the plan to the boys. Then, she handed the slingshot to Robin, who loaded it with the projectile while Chat got into position.

She counted down from three, shouting “heads up!” to warn Abeille, Ryuko, and Viperion as Robin launched the device. The flashbang went off right in front of the akuma, the sudden bright light momentarily blinding them. Chat immediately darted in, grabbed the akuma’s employee ID badge, and brought it to Ladybug.

Once she had purified the akuma and restored the city’s light, the three heroes joined their teammates on the street. The five miraculous holders put their fists together, then looked expectantly toward Robin. Grumbling under his breath, he added his fist to the group celebration.

“ _Bien joue!_ ” cried five voices.

Just then, they could hear the murmurs from the gathering crowd.

_“There’s a new hero!”_

_“Isn’t he from America?”_

_“I think he’s Batman’s partner!”_

_“He has some sort of bird name…Finch? Sparrow?”_

“I should go.” Robin drew the other heroes’ attention back to him.

“Go ahead, we’ll take care of the victim and the crowd,” Abeille responded. Everyone left except Ladybug.

“Make sure you bring a phone or some other smart device to the meeting tomorrow. We have to show you the akuma alert app, and something tells me you’ll find it handy.” Once Robin gave her a solemn nod of understanding, Ladybug turned to join her friends.

When she glanced back, he was already gone.

* * *

Ladybug made sure to arrive to their meeting early the next day, but Robin had still beaten her to it. She watched as he scanned the base, the same impassive look on his face, before turning to her.

“This is it?”

She did not glare at him. Nope. She remained cool, calm, and professional. “We’re kids, what did you expect? Even if our families had money, we couldn't access enough of it to get whatever fancy kind of tech you have without raising suspicion.”

“You are not working with an adult? No one behind the scenes, no one training you? How did you get your miraculouses?” There was a hint of frustration in his voice.

“Ladybug,” Viperion called, moving out of the shadows. Robin didn't flinch, which meant he was good at hiding shock or he was already aware of the extra presence. She was willing to bet the latter. “She gave me my miraculous. Same with Ryuko and Abeille,” he added as they joined the group.

“And what about you two?” Robin turned back to Ladybug and Chat Noir, who had stepped up beside her a moment before.

“The former Guardian,” Chat replied, leaning on his staff.

“Former?” Robin questioned.

“He was compromised,” Ladybug said quietly, trying to push down the guilt. “He had to relinquish his title and memories so Hawkmoth couldn't take advantage of him.”

“So who is the new Guardian?” All of her teammates simply pointed to her. “Great, just great,” he muttered.

“Hey! Ladybug is more than capable!” Abeille yelled, storming up to him.

He worked an eyebrow. “Is she? She said it herself when we first met, there is a lot she, or any of you for that matter, do not understand.”

“He's right,” Ladybug cut in, noticing all four of her teammates bristling at the foreigner’s words. He looked at her as she walked up until they were face-to-face. “There is a lot that I don't understand. But I began training for this role with the Guardian before he had to give it up, and I've been able to continue my training. It's not ideal, but I am the most qualified person we know for the job.”

They stared each other down for a minute, and then Robin broke the silence. “How are you still training?”

“That's on a need-to-know basis,” Ryuko said in a tone that brokered no argument, “and you have yet to prove yourself.”

The tension in the room increased until it was stifling. Finally, Robin broke it with a nod. “From the videos I have seen, you all have adapted well and improved your fighting skills since taking on these roles despite having little to no combat experience. Proper training can cut your time spent finding akumas in half. I will provide this training.

“Now,” he continued before anyone could respond, “you wanted to show me an app?”

* * *

Each week, the team met at the same time for training and evidence review. Sometimes, one or more of the heroes couldn’t make it due to their civilian lives, but Ladybug and Robin always showed up.

The miraculous holders had each demonstrated their unique superpowers, and after some planning Robin had been able to devise individualized training plans that would complement the nature of their powers, be they offensive (Chat, Ryuko, Abeille) or defensive (Ladybug, Viperion). He also took into account their weapons, though some were more…unconventional than others.

After a particularly brutal training session, the team had split up around the warehouse, winding down in their own ways. Chat, Ryuko, and Abeille were sitting in the mishmash of chairs they had found for the base, chatting about their performance and insulting recent akuma designs. Ladybug was poring over the evidence they had stored in a secure laptop borrowed from the Batcave. Viperion was sitting against a wall a little way off, strumming his lyre.

Robin approached the snake-themed hero, joining him on the floor. “So,” he started, a little awkwardly, “who knows who?”

Viperion smiled but kept strumming. “I was wondering when you were going to ask that.” He paused, thinking, before continuing.

“All of us know who Abeille, Ryuko, and I are. We were made permanent members of the team after Ladybug became the Guardian, and she decided to take a different approach from her predecessor. She encouraged us to share our identities, if we were comfortable, saying that she believed the support system would prevent us from being akumatized. Of course, she and Chat knew because they decided together to make us permanent.

“Chat revealed his identity to us a few weeks before we met you, actually. And no, I won’t tell you why. But I’m pretty sure Ladybug had already figured it out, because she didn’t seem surprised.”

“What about her?” Robin asked.

“Ladybug?” Viperion said with a rueful smile. “Since the old Guardian lost his memories, no one knows her identity.”

“No one?” Robin furrowed his brows. “Why would she encourage her teammates to use a support system but deny it for herself?”

“Because she’s too important. Not that she would ever say that! But it’s true. She’s the only one who can purify akuma. If she lost any of us, she’d still theoretically have a chance. But if we lost her…” The older boy smiled again, but it was haunted this time. “We’d be done. And if one of us knew and got akumatized, then Hawkmoth would know and could target her.”

“Does she not trust the rest of you to avoid akumatization?”

“She’s…had a difficult go of it the past few years in her civilian life. From what she’s said, which isn’t much, her ability to trust people has been pretty much wrecked, at least when it comes to something as important as this. She seems to be doing better recently, but she’s still the type to place the weight of the world on her own shoulders.”

“How has she managed to avoid akumatization herself?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a mixture of borderline unhealthy coping mechanisms and sheer willpower. But it’s worked so far, so I can’t really judge,” Viperion shrugged.

“You seem to know her pretty well for someone who does not even know her real name,” Robin mused.

Viperion huffed out a laugh. “I’ve always been pretty gifted at reading people. Or, I guess, _hearing_ people would be more accurate. Plus,” he lowered his voice, “I have a hunch about who she is. Mostly because she’s scarily similar to a girl I used to be in love with.”

An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of Robin’s stomach at the thought of Viperion being in love with Ladybug, though he wasn’t sure why. “‘Use to’?” He tried to sound casual but based on the look the other hero shot him, he wasn’t successful.

“Yeah, it wasn’t meant to be. But I moved on and now she’s one of my best friends. Besides, she met someone recently who’s made her happier than she’s been in a long time. And from what she’s told me, she brings out the best in him, too.”

At those words, Robin couldn’t help but think of Marinette, which Viperion seemed to notice. “Ah, remind you of someone? Your girl, perhaps?”

“She is not my girl.” Robin aimed for defiant, but it came out dejected instead. He frowned at himself.

Suddenly, Viperion clapped him on the shoulder. “Not with that attitude! And trust me, you’ll feel better if you just tell her.”

With that, the older boy got up and announced his departure to the group, leaving Robin to stew in his thoughts.

* * *

It was one of those nights when only Ladybug and Robin had been able to meet up at the base. They had sparred briefly, then examined the tracking information they pulled from the akuma alert app, but there hadn’t been an akuma that week which meant no new data.

He remembered when they first showed him the app and Chat had offhandedly mentioned that Marinette had helped them create it. He lost his composure for just a moment but was able to distract the others by asking why they would involve a civilian, which launched them into stories about akumas like Evillustrator and Weredad and complaints about the Ladyblog. Well, all of them except Ladybug, who just watched him with eyes far too perceptive for his tastes.

“Ugh, we’re getting nowhere!” Ladybug pulled him out of his thoughts with a rare display of anger by slamming the laptop lid shut. He had noticed that she did this more often when it was just him—not the manhandling of technology, but the expression of vulnerability. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

Abruptly, she stood up and announced, “I’m going to patrol.”

She had already turned and started spinning her yo-yo when he cried, “Wait!” As she looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, he cleared his throat and added, “I’ll go with you.”

To his surprise, she broke out into a beaming smile. “If you can keep up,” she said cheekily, before swinging out into the night.

The two raced around the city. Robin noticed that Ladybug was spending more time in the areas they had marked as having high levels of akumas, but all was quiet. Finally, Ladybug signaled him to stop when they reached Notre Dame.

“Usually the team ends patrols on the Eiffel Tower, but I thought this might be more your speed,” Ladybug said as he sat down next to her on the edge of the building.

“Yes, my city is certainly a fan of gothic architecture,” Robin responded. The two lapsed into a companionable silence as they looked out over the glistening lights of Paris.

“Robin?” Ladybug said, breaking the peace that had settled. He immediately frowned—her voice was quiet and timid, something he hadn’t heard from her before but knew he didn’t like. Still, he waited for her to continue.

“Do you think I’m a bad hero?”

His head snapped in her direction. “What? Who the hell told you that?”

She bit her lip, bringing her hands up to grasp her arms. “No one, I just…it’s been three years since all this started. Shouldn’t I have caught him by now?”

“Look at me,” he said. When she didn’t move, he reached out a gloved hand and placed it on her cheek, gently turning her head until they were making eye contact.

“This fight has been unfair since the beginning. Hawkmoth has the luxury of rarely needing to be physically present at fights, making it significantly harder to capture him. He is also an adult who almost certainly has more freedom and resources than you. Meanwhile, you were thrust into this with no warning or training and have had to figure it out as you go. You also lost the one person who knew more about this than you.

“But despite all these odds stacked against you, you have formed a team of worthy and loyal heroes. You have defeated every akuma and have avoided being akumatized yourself. You created the akuma alert app, which has helped us narrow down possible locations for Hawkmoth. We may not have a suspect yet, but we will get there.”

He noticed that she flinched at his last sentence. Before he could ask, she said, “But what about you?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes widened. “You’re our age too! Or, at least, I think you are, that’s why you were chosen to work with us, right? And you’ve been able to face and defeat so many villains, all without magic or superpowers. What excuse do we have?”

“I am part of a team that formed before you and I were even born. I also received proper training for these kinds of situations.” He looked down but forced himself to add, “But do not compare yourself to me. I am not the kind of person you want to be.”

He glanced back up when he felt her hand settle over his, which was still resting on her cheek. “What do you mean?” she murmured.

“I was raised to be an assassin until I was ten years old. I was taught to value power over everything, including human life. I—I have done terrible things. Even after I met Batman, it took too long for me to change my ways.”

“Do you do any of those terrible things now?” she asked.

“No, of course not!” he exclaimed, horrified at the thought.

“And have you atoned for them?” she countered.

“I try to, every day,” he replied.

She let go of his hand and pulled him into a hug. He froze, shocked, for a moment before tentatively wrapping his arms around her. “Then you’re okay. You didn’t know any different before and now that you do, you’re choosing to be good. I think that’s admirable.”

Robin wanted to respond, but his throat was oddly tight, so he just returned the hug. After a minute, he pulled away. “Ladybug, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“You have a suspect, don’t you?” His suspicions were confirmed when she glanced away. “Why haven’t you said something?”

She sighed. “I have once before, a while ago, but Chat was adamant that it wasn’t true. If it is this person…well, it would have a lot of implications for his civilian life. Shortly after that conversation the suspect was akumatized. At the time I thought that ruled them out, but I don’t know that for sure, do I?”

He nodded in thought. “What about the akuma activity hotspots?”

“They line up, but they’re still too big to say anything for certain. I need more solid proof if I’m going to bring this up again.” She looked at him, eyes pleading. “Please don’t say anything? At least not yet.”

“I will not,” he confirmed. “But if you are willing to give me a name, I can have my team look into them and see if they can dig up anything to support your theory.”

She seemed to battle with herself for a moment before letting out another sigh. “Gabriel Agreste.”

“The recluse fashion designer?” He frowned. “He would certainly have the means.”

Suddenly, Ladybug stood up. “If you have time, we can go back to the base and I can explain all the evidence I have so far.”

He gave her a small smile, relieved that she was willing to let him help her shoulder this burden. “Lead the way.”

* * *

Spring was blooming and the teens were closing in on Hawkmoth when Ladybug and Robin reached an understanding that neither of them divulged to the rest of the team.

Marinette and Damian were video calling as usual, except the girl couldn’t stop fidgeting. Damian noticed.

“What’s wrong, Angel?”

Marinette steeled her nerves. _Now or never._

“Damian…you’re the one who ‘told’ Robin about the situation here in Paris, aren’t you?” she asked, using air quotes.

Damian stared at her impassively for a heartbeat, and then another. Just as she was about to crack, he answered. “Yes. Just liked how you ‘helped’ Ladybug create the akuma alert app,” he said, copying her gesture.

They stared at each other for a moment, neither showing their relief and exhilaration at sharing this part of their lives despite knowing that they couldn’t truly admit it. At least, not yet.

* * *

She couldn’t believe it.

It was over.

This man, Hawkmoth, _Gabriel Agreste_ , had stolen years of her childhood and now here he was, unconscious, lying on a dirty roof in the city he had terrorized.

She was distantly aware that she should check in with Chat, who had gone after a weakened Mayura, or Abeille, Ryuko, and Viperion, who had been battling the final akuma and sentimonster. But all she could do was stare at the butterfly miraculous in her hand.

With shaky hands, she opened the compartment in the yo-yo and dropped the brooch in, then snapped it shut with a decisive _click_.

“Ladybug—”

At the sound of Robin’s voice, she whipped around, but whatever he was going to say seemed to die in his throat when they made eye contact. They held each other’s gaze, suspended in the moment, just like the night they had not quite confirmed their identities.

Then, she was kissing him.

Or maybe he was kissing her. Who made the first move didn’t really matter when she could feel the pressure of his lips on hers and his hands on her back, holding her close. Feel his hair between her gloved fingers as she ran her hands up his neck to cradle the back of his head. Taste him as she ran her tongue along his bottom lip. Hear his moan as he opened his mouth to her—

A sudden bang from a news van door in the street below had them jumping apart, chests heaving as they caught their breath. Finally, Ladybug managed to say, “I—I should find the others.”

With one last inhale, Robin pulled his usual stoic mask back on. “I will secure our villain and hold off the reporters.”

As she swung off into the night, she couldn’t help but wonder…

_What does this mean?_

**Author's Note:**

> [Here](https://www.deviantart.com/hq-4-puddin/art/Damian-Wayne-cosplay-mask-612149041) is Damian's mask. I wanted to include a slight nod to how it's unique from the previous Robin masks and domino masks in general.


End file.
